Friday, May 29, 2009

Just a couple of cards to show today and they are all from the North. First is a card from Eureka, Nunavut, Canada. Eureka is the second most northerly permanently inhabited settlement on Earth. Located on Ellesmere Island it serves as a research base and weather station. It is 1100 km from the north pole and was founded in 1947. Eureka sees the midnight sun between April 10 and August 29, with No sunlight at all between mid-October and late February. Eureka has the lowest average annual temperature and least precipitation of any weather station in Canada. Winters are frigid but summers are slightly warmer than at other places in the Canadian Arctic. However, the temperature has never exceeded 20.7 degrees C. The postcard shows the flora and fauna of Arctic life. It was sent by Dean , the Eureka Postmaster. Dean used a 2007 Permanent stamp. The very nice postmark commemorates Eureka as Canada's Most Northern post Office and also commemorates Eureka Weather Station. A very nice addition to my postcard collection.

The next card is from Diomede, Alaska, U.S.A. The Diomede Islands consist of the U.S. island of Little Diomede and the Russian island of Big Diomede. They are located in the middle of the Bering Strait. The islands are separated by an international border and The International Dateline. At their closest distance the two islands are only 4 km apart. The village of Diomede , from where this postcard was mailed, is located on the west side of Little Diomede. It's 2007 population was 147 people. Mail to the island is delivered by helicopter and then only weekly. The postal contract is the only one that uses helicopters for delivering mail. The card is from The Geophysical Institute of The University of Alaska. It shows an auroral corona as seen from Fairbanks, Alaska. The card was sent by Willis F , a teacher at Diomede School. Willis wrote that at the time of sending the card, May 9th, Little Diomede was still connected to Russian Big Diomede by slushy ice. The stamp that Willis used is a 2007 first Class Forever stamp featuring the Liberty Bell.The final card is another card from the Postmaster at Eureka. It shows our great flag, The Maple Leaf. The 2 stamps are from the 2009 issue , for Preserving the Poles and were issued on April 09. The stamps feature an Arctic Tern and a Polar Bear. This issue is part of an international stamp campaign to raise awareness about global warming under the theme '' Preserve the Polar Regions and Glaciers''.Two quite appropriate stamps coming on a card from Eureka, in the high Arctic.

A nice and very interesting update this time.Take care and leave a comment if you wish.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Another one postcard day at the mailbox. But it is a good one , a new addition to my collection. The card is from Palestine # 219 in my collection. The card shows The Grotto of the Nativity. This Grotto enshrines the site where Jesus is said to have been born. The silver star in the center , marks what actually is thought to be the exact location of the birthplace of Jesus of Nazareth. The card was sent by Husam , who lives in Bir Zeit , from where the card was posted. Bir Zeit is a Palestinian town on the outskirts of Ramallah in the central West Bank. Husam used a 2003 commemorative stamp featuring Al-Azhar University in Gaza. It was 1 of a set of 3 featuring universities. Thanks to Husam. He sent a couple of cards earlier, but they never arrived. I certainly owe him a big thank you for keeping at it until one got through.

It's certainly great to add a new country or stamp issuing entity to my collection. With 219 in hand , that leaves just 47 more. I rank Palestine up there with DPRK North Korea in difficulty in adding to a collection. I never thought that I would have a card mailed to me from either of these places, so I figure that the most difficult one now will be from Somalia. Rumor has it that there are a few other African countries that have limited or no Postal Service. So far though I have done pretty good with Africa.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Well, today didn't bring any new cards in the mail. But all is not lost. It seems there is always a card to show and write about. Today's card was given to me , sadly not posted , by my wife Teena way back in 1993. Of course that was a long time before I collected postcards. Then it got misplaced and didn't surface again until yesterday, some 16 years later. It's actually a pretty nice postcard. It shows King penguins marching past a little boy sitting on South Georgia Island in the South Atlantic. Where my wife came by a South Georgia postcard has long since been forgotten. South Georgia is a British overseas territory. The territory is a remote and inhospitable collection of islands, consisting of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. With no native or permanent population, other than scientists and support staff, one can only wonder who this little fellow is. But I guess that he's the lucky one, he has had his picture taken in a place , very , very few of us will ever set foot on.That's it, another short post again today.Take care.

Monday, May 25, 2009

As many of you may know from the title of this update, my one and only card for today is from Brussels, Belgium. It is a card showing The Grand Place and the Town Hall. Grand Place is the central market square of Brussels. The square is one of the most memorable landmarks in Brussels. The Town Hall , shown on the card was started in 1402 and completed in 1420. Grand Place was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list in 1998. This card was sent by Johan O of Vlaanderen, Belgium. He is a frequent reader of this blog and took it upon himself to send a postcard.Thanks Johan. Johan used a nice stamp from 2009. It is one from a multi-sheet of 6 featuring World Cultural Heritage.A short update for today. take care .

Friday, May 22, 2009

This will be just a short update to end the week. I received just 2 postcards yesterday. Both from Africa. One from Mali and another from Lesotho. I am only showing the card from Mali. It was sent by Holly, another PCV working and living in Mali. She has a blog called Holly n' Mali. The card shows a pretty little girl in her native dress sitting in her tent. The stamp that Holly used also shows a young girl in a native costume. It was issued in either 2003 or 2004.

I am not showing the Lesotho card because it is an identical card to one I received earlier and showed in my May 15 blog. Also, the stamps are the same 3 shown in my blog on May19th. I do want to acknowledge the card as from Nora J, another PCV in Lesotho. She has a blog called Coming to Lesotho. This is the first time in 962 postcards and over 3 years that I have received the same card as one that I received before.Thanks to Holly and Nora for their cards .That's it for today.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

It's another great day for my postcard collection. A card from another new country arrived today. Mali, country # 128 is here. Now , I ask you, how often does one see mail from there ? Not often at all in my opinion. So to get a card from there is just great. Mali is a landlocked nation in Western Africa. It borders Algeria, Niger,Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Senegal and Mauritania. With its capital Bamako, the country has a population of approximately 12,000,000. Legendary Timbuktu is located in Mali. The card shows a child in Dogon country. This area is one of Mali's major tourist attractions. The Dogon are a people living in the central plateau region of Mali, numbering just about 800,000.They are well known for their mask dances. The card was sent, need I say it again, by a U.S Peace Corps Volunteer, Cassie W. Cassie has a blog called On Air In Mali located at www.onairinmali.blogspot.com .Cassie used a stamp from 2003. It shows the Bandiagara Escarpment in the Dogon country of Mali. It rises about 500 meters and has a length of about 150 kilometers. The Escarpment was listed in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1989. Thanks to Cassie for this card.

Another card from Lesotho. They are coming quite often now. I think this is number 3 .It's from another PCV serving there by the name of Allison. She too has a blog called Allison's African Adventure and you can find it at www.allisonandafrica.blogspot.com . The card shows the Makhaleng Valley. Located in western Lesotho, the valley forms part of the approach to several mountain passes, notably the God Help Me Pass and the Gates of Paradise Pass. The flower stamps are from a 1998 definitive set of 16. Thanks Allison.

The final card is from Guernsey. Guernsey is a British owned Dependency in the English Channel. It is not part of the United Kingdom but rather a separate possession of the Crown. Jannick, a Postcrosser sent this card and used 2 different stamps. The stamp on the left is from 1999 and is 1 of 14 in a set of definitives featuring ships. The other stamp is from 2008 and is one f a set of 6. Thanks Jannick. The view on the card is of Castle Cornet, Guernsey's ancient harbour fortress.

That's 216 countries down and by my count just 48 more left to collect. They are getting harder though. Cheers.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Happy Victoria Day , CanadaWhat does Victoria day have to do with postcards you may ask ? Not a heck of a lot. It actually means that I won't be receiving any postcards today as it is a holiday in the post office. Oh well, more tomorrow. As my contribution to Victoria Day I am showing a very old postcard of The Union Jack, from my collection. The postcard dates back to 1915 or 1916. Since I am in Calgary, Alberta I was wondering about any connection to Queen Victoria. It appears there are a few. Queen Victoria's son, Prince Arthur visited Calgary in 1912 to open the very first Calgary Stampede. The province of Alberta is named after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert. I could go on and write about Lake Louise, the town of Caroline , The Marquess of Lorne Trail, but I don't want to lose my readers , who tuned in to read about postcards and more postcards.Don't worry, I'll bet back to the good stuff tomorrow.Thanks for visiting and I hope my history lesson wasn't too boring.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Today, a little something different. Just covers and stamps. I thought that I would show the covers I received the last couple of weeks. This is my way of acknowledgement to the senders.First is a cover from Eric C of Lyon, France. He sent a nice postcard of Lyon in this cover. Noteworthy stamps on this cover include an ATM stamp from 2008, a Lyon bridge stamp from 2008 and the Louis Braille stamp issued 2009. Thanks Eric for this really nice cover.

Now we have a cover , covered with stamps , 13 in fact, from Georgia. This was sent by Khatuna and included inside was a great , stamped and postmarked postcard and a number of aircraft on stamp stamps. Included on the cover are 2 of the 4 Beijing 2008 Olympic stamps issued by Georgia. Also included are 3 stamps issued to commemorate 1 September 2008 when 1.5 million Georgians demonstrated their patriotism and joined arms around Tbilisi in a human chain to protest recent Russian military action and partial occupation of Georgia. One of the stamps says - Georgia is ours - while another says - Georgia against the aggression -. I am certainly growing my Georgian collection thanks to Khatuna.

I received this next cover from Michael of cddstamps. It actually contained another great First Flight cover from 1958. But first the sent cover. Michael used a great Airbus A380 stamp from 2008. A great addition to my collection of airlines and aircraft on stamps. I have the stamp but Michael gets to fly on the A380.The 1958 cover commemorates the Inaugural flight by Qantas , Round the World. On this cover are 2 beautiful Qantas Connie stamps. Thanks Michael for all this.

The final cover is from the State of Qatar. I don't really know who sent it other that the last or family name is Evangelista and it came from Doha, Qatar. The stamp on the left is from 2009 and is entitled Tears for Gaza. The larger stamp on the right was issued in 2007 and is from a set of 3 featuring Islamic holy places.

Here are the aircraft related stamps that Khatuna enclosed in her cover. Notice the great set of 2 from 2004, from Ukraine. It was a joint issue with Iran. A very nice set for my collection. Thanks Khatuna.

No mail delivery tomorrow. It is Victoria Day, a national holiday in Canada.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Wouldn't you know it ? I have been collecting postcards for about 3 years now and only very recently received a single card from Lesotho and Ethiopia. Lo and behold, today I receive a second card from each country. The card from Ethiopia shows a woven bamboo tukul. The card was sent by Anna T , a PCV working and living there. She has a blog online called Anna in Ethiopia at www.anniopia.blogspot.com . Thanks Anna. The nice bird stamp is from a set of 23 issued in 1998 . This one shows the Golden-Backed Woodpecker.

My Lesotho card shows a number of views of village life in Lesotho. This card is also from a PCV . Jackie T sent it along. She used 2 stamps issued 1998 featuring flowers, from a set of 16. Thanks Jacki.

Now for a card from Paris, France. It shows Les Invalides. This is a complex of buildings containing museums and monuments, all related to the military history of France. Also located here is a hospital and a retirement home for war veterans. Notable at Les Invalides is the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte. The card was sent by Alice, another Postcrosser. She used a very nice aviation/aircraft themed stamp from 2008. It is 1 of a set of 2 , a joint issue with Israel. It commemorated the 50th anniversary of the first flight between Israel and France on June 9, 1948. The 2 stamps are a beautiful set and I would certainly love to add the other one to my collection, even used. So come on my readers from France, what can you do for me?

Cheema from Pakistan sent the next card. He has a blog at www.mycoolcovercollection.blogspot.com . The card shows Shah Faisal Mosque in Islamabad. It is the largest mosque in Pakistan and the fourth largest in the world. Cheema used a number of different stamps . The one on the left is from 2005 and is 1 of a set of 10 Mushroom stamps. The stamp on the top right is from 1994 , 1of a set of 12 featuring Mohammed Ali Jinnah and the final stamp was issued 2004 for the 9th SAF Games , held in Islamabad. Thanks Cheema for this.

Eric C of Lyon sent the next card. It shows the City of Lyon, his hometown. In the foreground is the old city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the greatest Renaissance town-center in Europe. thanks Eric for this card.And finally a card from Aberdeen, Scotland. Aberdeen has been around for about 8000 years and is Scotland's third most populous city. Debbie sent this old time view of Aberdeen.

That's about it for today. I have finally caught up with the cards that arrived while I was out to Newfoundland along with those that arrived this week. The only things left are the 4 or 5 covers that arrived during that time. I don't usually show the covers I receive , as this is a postcard blog, but every now and then a few sneak in. So tune in over the weekend for those. I won't get any new mail until Tuesday as this is a long holiday weekend here in Canada. It is the Victoria Day weekend, with Victoria Day happening on Monday the 18th. We are celebrating the birthday of the current Canadian Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. However, the date does not change with the change of monarch, instead it is set on the birthday of Queen Victoria, the Canadian Monarch at the time of Canadian Confederation and establishment of dominion status 1867. Ok, Ok , I know, enough about Canadian history.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Well it's another good day . I received another new country for my collection. Ethiopia makes country number 217 . I had a card sent to me from Ethiopia about a year ago but unfortunately it never arrived. So receiving one today is just great. If you read yesterday's update, you remember I mentioned U.S. Peace Corps volunteers, well I have to thank another PCV for this card. Kristen is a PCV in Ethiopia and was able to send this card off to me. She has a blog called Ethiopiwhere?!? outlining her adventures while in the country. It can be found at www.ethiopiwhere.blogspot.com . Ethiopia is a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Sudan to the west, Kenya to the south, Somalia to the east and Djibouti to the northeast. Its capital is Addis Ababa and the country's population is over 78 million. Ethiopia is one of the oldest countries in the world and Africa's second-most populous. It has the most UNESCO World Heritage sites in Africa and is known for its Olympic distance athletes. Kristen commented on her card about the Land of 13 months of Sunshine. Ethiopia boasts 13 Months of Sunshine alluding to its glorious weather and to the ancient Coptic calendar to which it adheres, which has an extra month of 5 or 6 days. Kristen's card shows an artistic rendition of Axum. Axum is a city in Northern Ethiopia and is the most ancient of Ethiopian capitals and the holiest of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Kristen used 3 stamps on the card. The one on the left is from 2002 and is 1 of a set of 25 definitives of animals. this one shows a Menelik's Bushbuck, which is an animal endemic of Ethiopia. The other 2 stamps are from a 2005 set of 4 featuring local hair styles. Thanks Kristen, I really appreciate this card from you.

The next card is from England and shows some of the many attractive doors in the East Yorkshire market town of Beverley. The town is around 1300 years old and was founded by Saint John of Beverley. The card is from Nigel Palmer. He is collecting postcards of the world and will auction them off to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Research. If you can , please send a postcard to Nigel Palmer, 53 Neptune Drive , Bridlington, East Yorkshire, YO16 4EF, England. If you want more info his email is nigel_plmr@yahoo.co.uk . Sounds like a good cause to me , I will be sending a card in a day or so. Nigel used a 2009 stamp, 1 of a set of 6 issued for the Age of the Tudors.

Now for another card that will be added to my Airline, Airplane on card collection. It was sent by Postcrosser Anita from Taiwan. The card shows a China Airlines A330-300 , a very nice aircraft indeed.Another card here is from Brazil. It shows the President Costa e Silva Bridge, commonly called the Rio-Niteroi. Ana who lives in Rio sent this card. She is another Postcrosser. The bridge is 13980 m long and crosses Quanabura Bay. It was started in January 1969 and completed on March 04, 1974. It is a very impressive bridge. The stamp is from a 2007 set of 4 definitives.

The final card is from Belarus. Sent by Kate, it shows Victory Square in Minsk. The Obelisk is a monument to Warriors of the Soviet Army and Partisans killed in the battles for Liberation of Belarus from Nazi occupants. It was established on June 4, 1954. The stamp is from a 2008 set of 5 featuring animals, this one shows a rabbit or hare.This is my update for today. Cheers.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

I have a number of great cards for today. New Zealand, Grenada, Mauritania, an aircraft postcard and a card from Hell. Let's start with Hell. Actually, first I just want to offer my congratulations to Ana of My World of Postcards blog (www.thewholeworldatyourhands.blogspot.com) for reaching 100 different countries from which she has received a card. She has even surpassed 100 already. And now on to Hell. This is my 2nd card from Hell, 2 different Hells I might add. Today's card is from Hell, Norway. My previous Hell card is from Hell, Cayman Islands. I owe some thanks to Ana for today's Hell card. I didn't know Hell, Norway even existed until Ana emailed me about it. And I even received the exact card that Ana told me about and has on her wish list. The card shows the train station in Hell with am ominous sky. Just a great card. It was sent by Sverre Stolen and has a Hell postmark. Hell is a village in Stjordal, Norway with a population of 352. There is another popular Hell card that shows a heavy frost on the ground, or Hell frozen over. And of course we all have said one time or another ''when Hell freezes over".Well I guess that postcard proves that it does. Thanks for my card go to Sverre and to Ana. Sverre used a new 2009 Art stamp, on of a set of two. Now if only someone would send me a card from Hell, Michigan, USA, it would be great.

Next is a card from New Zealand, Wellington in fact. The card is from Postcrosser Melissa who writes that New Zealand has 4.1 million people and 60 million sheep. She also says that Wellington is the southernmost capital city in the world. The card is entitled Naturally New Zealand and shows some of the great natural beauty of the country. Melissa used a 2003 Tourism definitive , one of a set of three.Now for an airplane card. Michael of cddstamps of Australia sent me this great Malaysia Airways B747. It is a great addition to my Airlines/Airplanes postcard collection. Thanks Michael.

Moving right along with a card from Grenada. Grenada is an island nation located in the southeastern Caribbean Sea. The card shows Annandale Falls along with the Ginger Lilly, Breadfruit and Nutmeg, all which grow profusely on Grenada. The card is from Liz , a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer and she writes that the Grenada is known as the Spice Island. The stamp is from 2006 , 1 of a set of 7 , butterflies issue. Thank you Liz.

And finally today is a card from Mauritania. Even though it is not my first card from there, one still doesn't see a lot of mail from Mauritania. So when one arrives , it certainly gets a showing. Sent by Seth, another PCV. Seth used a 2008 stamp commemorating the Tasiast Gold Mine which was opened in Mauritania in 2007. Thanks Seth.

I just want to say here that I have received quite a number of postcards from various countries, that have been sent by Peace Corps Volunteers. They are fast becoming an invaluable source for my collection. Now if I could only make contact with a volunteer in French Guiana, Mayotte , Timor-Leste, Tuvalu, or Wallis & Futuna , it would be just great.